The present invention relates to methods and devices for cooling rack-mounted equipment, and in one instance to computer-based systems that place tandem, independent system chassis back-to-back where each independently intakes and exhausts cooling air through respective exposed panels.
Computer-based network equipment is typically mounted in so-called RETMA equipment racks. Such racks are 19xe2x80x3 wide and the vertical spaces are measured in units of 1.75xe2x80x3, e.g., xe2x80x9c1Uxe2x80x9d. Rack space is typically at a premium, especially in modem farm sites that are rented by the phone companies. So packaging equipment designs into the smallest vertical space can result in tremendous economic savings.
Unfortunately, packaging a computer-based piece of network equipment into a 1U-space works against being able to adequately cool the electronics inside. The large footprint, typically 17xe2x80x3 by 28xe2x80x3, can be a challenge to force air through when CPU-boards, memories, disk drives, and power supplies are all stuffed into a vertical space only 1.75xe2x80x3 high.
In recent years, high-performance Intel and AMD microprocessors have required rather large heatsinks and associated forced-air cooling fans. Many of these CPU-cooling devices need more vertical room than is available in a 1U-space. The ones that will fit in such a confined space need excellent cold-air intake and sufficient air volume movement to keep temperatures under control.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for cooling electronic equipment in RETMA-racks.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tandem equipment chassis that occupies a 17xe2x80x3 by 28xe2x80x3 footprint and keeps the internal electronics cool in a 1U vertical rack space.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an equipment chassis that keeps its internal electronics cool in a 1U, 2U, 3U, etc., vertical rack space.
Briefly, a chassis rack system embodiment of the present invention mounts two 19xe2x80x3 RETMA rack chassis back-to-back in the same 1U-space. Each has an independent cooling system that draws-in cold air from respective front and rear panels. Such panels are provided with a series of slots that are blocked-off in different patterns according to empirical cooling tests done with particular complements of internal constituent components. Such intakes are typically at one side of the panel, and air drawn in is forced to flow to the back and around to the opposite side by two floor-to-ceiling partition walls. Such walls can be set to different lengths to define a bay for a CD-ROM, floppy disk, PCI-bus, etc., and to tune the circulating airflow. The drawn-in air is critically sequenced first over a processor board, then a memory, then hard disk drives, and finally over a power supply. The power supply is near the front on the right, typically, and two 33-CFM fans exhaust the heated air out the respective panels. The chassis enclosures each have a lid with a special flat ductwork that conducts cold outside air directly to at least one CPU fan, heatsink, or other critical component.
An advantage of the present invention is that a method is provided for cooling rack-mounted electronic equipment.
Another advantage of the present invention is that a system is provided for optimizing cooling airflow through computer-based equipment chassis.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after having read the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments which are illustrated in the various drawing figures.